Carriage



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

w. H. SPARKS.

CARRIAGE.

No. 487,788. Patented Dec. 13, 1892.

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(No Model.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. H. SPARKS.

(LARRIAGE. N0. 487,788.

Patented Dec. 13,1892;

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PATENT WILLIAM H. SPARKS, OF CAMDEN, NEl/V JERSEY.

CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,788, dated December13, 1892.

Application filed November 21, 1891. Serial No. 412,632. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SPARKs, a citizen of the United States,residingat Camden, in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriages;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in running-gear for carriages, andhas forits objects the provision of a novel means for mounting the. rearportion of the carriage-body,

objects, I provide a rear bar or bolster, to which the rear spring issecured and also the rear ends of the body and side bars. At this pointit has been customary to attach the side bars directly to the rearspring, which necessitates the provision of a longer coupling in orderto afford means for attaching the carriage-body to the side bars and tobring the carriagebody forward of the rear spring.

In my invention the carriage-body is attached directly to the rear baror bolster which is directly over and secured to the rear spring. Thespring which I prefer to use in this connection is the semiellipticalspring shackled to supports held upon the rear axle, which is preferablybent downward to accommodate the spring and bring the body close to theaxle; but it will be readily understood that any desired form of springor axle can be used in this connection.

To provide for the equalization of the load, I provide anequalizing-bar,which may be attached to any point on theside bars, butpreferably a short distance in front of the rear bar or bolster, towhich equalizing-bar the carriage-body is secured. bar is rigid, andwhile there is no particular point at which it must be placed, thelocation being to some extent governed by the relative stiffness of thefrontand rear springs, its best pointof location is about the center ofthe weight when the carriage is loaded on both seats. The weight willthen be distributed so as to depress both front and back springs alike,whether both seats or only the front oneis occupied. The weight of theload being transmitted to the springs through the stiff side bars andthrough the rigid equalizing-bar bolted to the rear part of the body andto said side bars, the said equalizingbar acts somewhat in the manner ofthe fulcrum; of a lever, the stiff side bars being the levers, the shortends of which are rigidly connected to the bolster and the bolsterfastened on the rear spring. Consequently the greater part of the loadis always thrown upon said rear spring, which is made correspondinglystiffer and heavier than the front spring. The balance of the load iscarried by the front spring, which is depressed only so far as the rearspring is forced down. The front spring serves principally to balancethe front end of the carriage and carrying scarcely any weight until therear spring is depressed with the load. hen the rear spring is depressed by the load, the front spring, being rigidly connected theretoby means of the side bars, is carried down onlyso much as the rearspring is depressed. The cross spring to which the front of the body issecured is of the usual sort, and the weight in the carriage, whetherone or both seats be occupied, will bear down upon the side bars at thepoint of contact of the equalizing-bar, thus causing the front spring tobe depressed and bear its due proportion of the load at all times, whichwould not be the case were it not. for the equalizing-bar, which actsasa fulcrum to distribute the weight of the load upon all of thesprings. It will thus be seen that a doubleseated carriage will alwaysride level whether one, two, three, or four persons are occupying it,and consequently that the weight of the vehicle can be reduced by reasonof this equalization of the load.

It will be seen that the invention is more This equalizingparticularlyapplicable to that class of carriages known as combination-surreys, butit can be applied to any form of construction.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the runninggear without the wheels andthe body secured thereon. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the sidebars and attached parts. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1 with theseat removed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the front spring, which isof the usual form; and Fig. 5 is a section taken across the body besidethe equalizing-bar.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures where they occur.

A is the body, and B 13 are the side bars.

0 is the front axle, and C the rear axle.

D is the front spring, and D is the front cross-spring, which isshackled to the side bars and has the front of the body secured to it.

The parts thus far described by letter may be of any desired or commonform, as they constitute no novel feature of this invention.

The rear of the carriage-bed is rigidly secured to a cross bar orbolster E, on which the rear ends of the side bars B are secured byclips in the usual manner. This bolster is preferably made of wood andwill be essentially rigid. At the center it is secured to the rearspring F, which may be of any form, but which I have shown and prefer touse as a semielliptical spring which is attached at its ends to supportsG, which are secured by clips on the rear axle, the attachment betweensaid spring and said supports being made by the shacklesf. Toaccommodate this form of rear spring, the rear axle C is bent as shownat 0*. The purpose of this construction has already been given.

To equalize the load, I provide a rigid equalizing-bar H at a pointpreferably in the center of weight when the carriage-bod y is loaded.This equalizing-bar H is secured upon the side bars by means of clips orany other suitable manner and has the carriage-body attached to it bybolts or otherwise. It acts as an equalizing-fulcrum and causes all thesprings of the vehicle to bear their due proportion of weight in themanner already stated in the opening paragraphs of this specification.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a carriage, the combination, with the body and side bars, of a baror bolster secured to the rear ends of both said body and said side barsand a spring on which said bar or bolster is secured attached to therear axle, as set forth.

2. In a carriage, the combination, with the body and side bars, of a baror bolster secured to the rear ends of said side bars and body, aseinielliptical spring to which said bar or bolster is secured, andshackles which secure said spring to supports on the rear axle, as setforth.

3. In a carriage, the combination, with the body and side bars, of a baror bolster secured to the rear ends of said side bars and body, asemielliptical spring, a curved axle and supports thereon, as described,and shackles connecting said supports with the said spring, the springand bolster being secured together, as set forth.

4. In a carriage, the combination, with the body, side bars, and rearbolster, of an equalizing-bar rigidly secured to said side bars at asuitable point in front of the bolster and a suitable spring secured tosaid side bars between the equalizing-bar and the front spring of thecarriage, as set forth.

5. In a carriage, the combination, with the body and side bars, of anequalizing-bar rigidly secured to said side bars and body and a rearbolster or bar connecting the body, side bars, and rear spring, as setforth.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM II. SPARKS.

Witnesses:

THOS. D. MoWLDs, FREDK. J. LAMBERT.

